Further study details as provided by Janssen Research & Development, LLC:

Primary Outcome Measures:

Percentage of Participants With American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20 Response at Week 24. [ Time Frame: Week 24 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

An ACR 20 response is defined as a greater than or equal to 20 percent improvement from baseline in swollen (66 joints) and tender (68 joints) joint counts and greater than or equal to 20 percent improvement in 3 of the following 5 assessments: 1) Participant's assessment of pain by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (0-10 cm), 2) Participant's global assessment of disease activity by VAS (0-10 cm), 3) Physician's global assessment of disease activity by VAS (0-10 centimeters [cm]) 4) Participant's assessment of physical function as measured by the "Disability Index of the Health Assessment Questionnaire" (HAQ-DI) (score of 0-3 in 8 functional areas) and 5) C reactive protein.

Secondary Outcome Measures:

Change From Baseline to Week 24 in the Disability Index Score as Measured With the "Disability Index of the Health Assessment Questionnaire" (HAQ-DI) [ Time Frame: Day 1 (Baseline) and Week 24 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

The HAQ-DI is 20-question instrument that assesses the degree of difficulty a person has in accomplishing tasks in 8 functional areas (dressing, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reaching, gripping, and activities of daily living). Responses in each functional area are scored from 0 (no difficulty), to 3 (inability to perform a task in that area). The average score across the functional areas yields an overall HAQ-DI score which ranges from 0 (no disability) to 3 (completely disabled). In psoriatic arthritis, a decrease in score of 0.30 indicates clinically meaningful improvement.

The PASI is a physician-administered assessment tool used for assessing and grading the severity of psoriatic lesions and their response to therapy. The PASI produces a numeric score that can range from 0 (no disease) to 72 (maximal disease). A PASI 75 response is defined as greater than or equal to 75 percent improvement in PASI score from baseline.

Percentage of Participants With American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 50 Response at Week 24 [ Time Frame: Week 24 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

An ACR 50 response is defined as a greater than or equal to 50 percent improvement from baseline in swollen (66 joints) and tender (68 joints) joint counts and greater than or equal to 50 percent improvement in 3 of the following 5 assessments: 1) Participant's assessment of pain by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (0-10 cm), 2) Participant's global assessment of disease activity by VAS (0-10 cm), 3) Physician's global assessment of disease activity by VAS (0-10 cm) 4)Participant's assessment of physical function as measured by the "Disability Index of the Health Assessment Questionnaire" (HAQ-DI) (score of 0-3 in 8 functional areas) and 5) C reactive protein.

Percentage of Participants With American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 70 Response at Week 24 [ Time Frame: Week 24 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

An ACR 70 response is defined as a greater than or equal to 70 percent improvement from baseline in swollen (66 joints) and tender (68 joints) joint counts and greater than or equal to 70 percent improvement in 3 of the following 5 assessments: 1) Participant's assessment of pain by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (0-10 cm), 2) Participant's global assessment of disease activity by VAS (0-10 cm), 3) Physician's global assessment of disease activity by VAS (0-10 cm) 4) Participant's assessment of physical function as measured by the "Disability Index of the Health Assessment Questionnaire" (HAQ-DI) (score of 0-3 in 8 functional areas) and 5) C reactive protein.

Change From Baseline to Week 24 in Total Modified Van Der Heijde-Sharp (vdH-S) Score for the Combined Radiographic Data From Studies CNTO1275PSA3001 and CNTO1275PSA3002 [ Time Frame: Day 1 (Baseline) and Week 24 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

The modified vdH-S score is a radiographic evaluation of hand and feet erosions and joint space narrowing (JSN) for 20 joints per hand and 6 joints per foot with a total score ranging from 0 (best) to 528 (worst = worst possible erosion score of 320 + worst possible JSN score of 208). Higher score and positive score changes indicate more radiographic damage and radiographic progression, respectively. As per protocol, analysis for this outcome measure used pooled data from 2 studies (CNTO1275PSA3001 and PSA3002) because initial power assumptions showed that 900 participants would be required to evaluate impact of ustekinumab on structural damage (SD) progression. The 2 studies, (which had similar study designs and dosing regimens with difference to prior exposure to anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) therapies), were intended to independently measure efficacy in terms of signs, symptoms and physical function, while effects on SD progression is provided from an integrated analysis.

Participants will receive subcutaneous (SC) injections of placebo at Weeks 0, 4, 16, and 20. At Week 24 participants will cross over to receive SC injections of ustekinumab 45 mg at Weeks 24 and 28 and every 12 weeks thereafter with the last dose at Week 88. If early escape, SC injections of 45 mg ustekinumab will be given at Weeks 16, 20, and 28 and every 12 weeks thereafter with the last dose at Week 88. For participants entering early escape, a SC placebo injection will be given at Week 24 to maintain the blind.

Drug: Placebo

SC injections

Experimental: Ustekinumab 45 mg

Participants will receive SC injections of ustekinumab 45 mg at Weeks 0 and 4 and every 12 weeks thereafter with the last dose at Week 88. If early escape, SC injections of 90 mg ustekinumab will be given at Week 16 and every 12 weeks thereafter with the last dose at Week 88. Participants will receive SC injections of placebo at Weeks 20 and 24 to maintain the blind.

Drug: Placebo

SC injections

Drug: Ustekinumab 45 mg

SC injections

Drug: Ustekinumab 90 mg

SC injections

Experimental: Ustekinumab 90 mg

Participants will receive SC injections of ustekinumab 90 mg at Weeks 0 and 4 and every 12 weeks thereafter with the last dose at Week 88. If early escape, the same dosage schedule will continue. Participants will receive SC injections of placebo at Weeks 20 and 24 to maintain the blind.

Drug: Placebo

SC injections

Drug: Ustekinumab 90 mg

SC injections

Detailed Description:

This is a randomized (participants are assigned different treatments based on chance), double-blind (neither the participant nor the physician knows whether drug or placebo is being taken, or at what dosage), parallel-group (each group of participants will be treated at the same time), and multicenter (study conducted at multiple sites) study. Approximately, 615 participants will participate in this study. Participants will be assigned to one of three treatment groups: Group I: ustekinumab 45 mg, Group II: ustekinumab 90 mg, and Group III: placebo group (an inactive substance). Participants will receive either 45 mg ustekinumab or 90 mg ustekinumab at Weeks 0, 4, and every 12 weeks until Week 88 as randomized to respective groups. Participants in placebo group will receive placebo at Weeks 0, 4, 16, and 20 and 45 mg ustekinumab at Weeks 24 and 28 followed by every 12 weeks dosing until Week 88. Participants who do not have greater than or equal to 5 percentage improvement in their disease (tender and swollen joints) will be eligible for an early escape. Specifically, during early escape at Week 16, participants in Group I will receive 90 mg ustekinumab, for participants in Group II same dosing schedule will be continued, and participants in placebo group will receive 45 mg ustekinumab. Safety evaluations will include assessments of adverse events, clinical laboratory tests, and physical examination. The maximum study duration will be approximately 108 weeks.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)

Genders Eligible for Study:

Both

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Have had a documented diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) at least 6 months

Have a diagnosis of active PsA at the time of entry into the study

If the participant is using methotrexate they should have started treatment at a dose not to exceed 25 milligram per week at least 3 months prior to the beginning of the study and should have no serious toxic side effects attributable to methotrexate. Methotrexate route of administration and doses should be stable for at least 4 weeks prior to the first administration of study agent. If currently not using methotrexate, must have not received methotrexate for at least 4 weeks prior to the first administration of the study agent

Exclusion Criteria:

Have other inflammatory diseases, including but not limited to rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or Lyme disease

Have used any therapeutic agent targeted at reducing interleukin (IL)-12 or IL-23, including but not limited to ustekinumab and briakinumab (ABT-874)

Have used any biologic agents that are targeted for reducing tumor necrosis factor-alpha, including but not limited to infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, and golimumab

Have a medical history of latent or active granulomatous infection

Have any known malignancy or have a history of malignancy (with the exception of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the skin, or cervical carcinoma in situ that has been treated with no evidence of recurrence, or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has been treated with no evidence of recurrence within 5 years of the beginning of the study

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01009086

United States: Food and Drug AdministrationGermany: Ethics CommissionGreat Britain: Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory AgencyHungary: National Institute for Quality and Organizational Development in Healthcare and Medicines